Not what the Scots expected

Published: May 20, 2002 12:00 AM

Last year's New York Yankees and this year's College of Wooster baseball team may not have a lot in common. But one thing is sure; the results each ended with are not what they expected.

The Yankees, undoubtedly the best all-around team in Major League Baseball a season ago, fell short in the World Series to Arizona and their stud duo of pitchers -- Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson.

This past weekend, the Scots, who were ranked No. 1 in the American Baseball Coaches Association poll for a majority of the season, fell victim to a similar situation. Wooster, which entered the Div. III Mideast Regional as one of the favorites to advance to the College World Series, was stunned by a pair of pitchers who had "the right stuff" on "that given day" -- Manchester's Justin Libey on Thursday, and Ohio Wesleyan's Curt Moenter on Saturday.

And although Libey and Manchester, or Moenter and Wesleyan, didn't advance to the big show in Appleton, Wis., -- second-seeded Marietta earned that right Sunday with a 7-5 win over the Bishops -- it just goes to show that pitching is the most important aspect of America's pastime.

It's too bad John Hart couldn't figure that out during his stint as the Cleveland Indians' general manager, or that I don't take that into consideration when I put together a fantasy baseball rotation each April.

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For the top-rated Scots, though, it was more than just the opponents' pitchers finding their grove. It was everything from pitching, to hitting, to fielding, and everything else you could find between. The Scots were out of whack, and you could tell by the deer in the headlights look after they lost Game 1, that things didn't look too promising.

In fact, the steady showers on Friday, which halted play for an entire day, may have best summed up Wooster's trip. It just seemed the Scots couldn't catch a break. Of course, when that happens, as Scots head coach Tim Pettorini would be the first to agree, you have to make your own breaks.

And Wooster didn't, or couldn't, do that, especially after giving up five runs in the 10th inning against Manchester as the Spartans put the finishing touches on an improbable comeback -- turning a 4-1 deficit after six innings into a 9-4 win.

Don't get me wrong; the sense of urgency appeared to be there for Wooster, but only after the loss to Manchester. In fact, after Manchester had loaded the bases but failed to score in the sixth off Scots starter Matt Englander, a colleague pointed out a right-on-the-money assessment. With a slight shake of the head, he whispered, "Manchester has some new-found confidence and it looks like they think they can win, while the Scots look like they've already won."

Maybe Wooster peaked in taking two-of-three against Wesleyan to win the North Coast Athletic Conference title a week earlier? Or maybe the Scots were overconfident as the top seed, playing a first-time regional qualifier in Manchester and then Ohio Wesleyan, which they had beaten twice already?

Whatever the reasons, The College of Wooster baseball team that showed up in Marietta was not the baseball team which finished 34-3 during the regular season and was widely considered the top-ranked team in all the land.